We’ll post information here when we’re accepting applications for our next cohort. Email us at dukelawtechlab@law.duke.edu or fill out the Contact Us form below to let us know you’d like to be notified about future program offerings. Follow the Duke Center on Law & Tech on Twitter or LinkedIn for the latest updates!

We don’t want the application process to be burdensome, as we consider this program “light-touch.” Generally, our application requires the following minimum information:

• Contact information for team members who plan to participate in the program, including a team leader and up to two additional team members. We also as for a brief bio of your team leader. 
• Company basic description and information, including links to any social media accounts or websites, the amount of funding you have raised so far, and how your company is legally structured under state law in the United States, if applicable
• A slide deck or business plan which includes information about your product, market potential and traction, and team members. Usually 10-15 slides in a .ppt, .pdf, or .key file will suffice.

The Duke Law Tech Lab is intentionally a “light-touch” pre-accelerator. As such, we do not ask anything burdensome of participating teams. We will, however, ask teams to work on tasks that bolster company growth and prepare to present at Demo Day at the end of the program. Because the Duke Law Tech Lab also aims at early-stage teams with highly individualized needs, these specific tasks are likely to depend on the particular needs of your company in light of advice from your team mentors.

No. As a light-touch accelerator, we do not require any future equity in your company.

In order to provide the best support to our participants possible, we only accept US-based companies for our Duke Law Tech Lab program.

If your company is based outside of the United States, we would still love to connect with you! We love finding opportunities to highlight international companies with our students and sponsors.

No! It is not a requirement for the program – in 2020 & 2021, none of our teams had a direct connection to Duke, though we have worked with alumni in the past. We will ask you on you application if you have any Duke connections, as we may be able to offer different resources if so.

Demo Day is an exciting opportunity to showcase new and innovative legal tech products in front of other #legaltech leaders. It is a celebration event involving other entrepreneurs, technologists, lawyers of all stripes, big law firm management, investor networks, and many more. Our 2020 event was virtual.

Learn more about our past Demo Day events.

By harnessing our entrepreneurial ecosystem in legal tech, we help founders learn from each other, legal tech leaders, subject-matter experts, and key industry players. Past teams have seen success such as:

• increased users,
• acceptance into a residential accelerator,
• substantial start-up funding from third-party investors,
• the founding of advisory boards, and
• beta tests of their products in new markets.

“Participating in Duke Law Tech Lab allowed me to connect with mentors, researchers, and fellow entrepreneurs who are similarly motivated to expand access to justice in light of the stark inequities in our civil and criminal legal system today.” – Devshi Mehrotra of JusticeText (2020)

*****

“Every early-stage legaltech startup deserves a Duke Law Tech Lab experience. Our win is a result of everything the program poured into us.” – Sonja Ebron of Courtroom5 (2019)

*****

“We are so grateful for the Duke Law Tech Lab for putting together an informative and engaging 13-week program that introduced us to industry leaders who have experience building successful legal tech companies.” – Yousef Kassim of Easy Expunctions (2019)

*****

“Participating in the Duke Law Tech Lab was a boost for our new company, and it came at the perfect time. We learned a lot about how to grow and improve our services, and made many good connections. Above all though, the program provided us with invaluable validation and legitimacy. Thanks DTLT!” – Brandt McMillan of Smart Lien, LLC (2018)

*****

“Having the opportunity to meaningfully connect with likeminded individuals and teams doing innovative work in the legal space was one of my favorite aspects of the accelerator. The weekly informative but casual meetings kept me focused on business strategy, growth, marketing and overall presentation of myself and our company. … What has surprised me the most is how willing the speakers and advisors are to connect and mentor. I expected maybe a 20-30 minute chat with key players in the industry and instead, I’ve been able to grow my advisory board and start executing on expansion plans.” – Erin Levine, Hello Divorce (2018)

*****

“Skopos Labs was at a critical early stage of development and the content and delivery DLTL provided was on target and of immense value… All of us at Skopos Labs are grateful for the chance to work with DLTL and we’d recommend any legal tech startup apply!” (2017)

*****

“The Duke Law Tech Lab did more that just help our [vTestify’s] business, it helped to develop and nurture our team. Meeting with industry leaders, discussing sales/marketing strategies, and building on our skill sets helped to enrich not only our company but also every member of our group. These are skills that will be invaluable long after the intensive work of nurturing a startup fades.” (2017)

*****

“We took great pride in being selected as one of the participants in the Duke Law Tech Lab (‘DLTL’). Duke has an unbelievable reputation, and this experience was a jolt of energy and confidence that has helped us double down our efforts in making TrustBooks successful.” (2017)